Another Kenyan Plane Shot at in Somalia

A Kenyan plane, registration number 5Y-VVA, was fired upon by unknown individuals in Qansahdere, Bay Region in Somalia, on Monday, May 25.

Reports revealed that the plane carrying humanitarian supplies came under fire while approaching Qansahdhere airfield, Bay region, Somalia

Numerous Somalia media outlets reported that no one was injured following the shooting incident.

Photos of the purported plane have since emerged showing impacts of a light weapon on the cabin side and in intrados of one of the wings.

Bullet holes on the Kenyan plane, registration number 5Y-VVA that was shot at in Somalia on May 25, 2020.
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Voice of America (VOA) Somali correspondent Harun Maruf reported that initial reports pointed at Al-Shabaab's involvement in the shooting.

However, various sources within Somalia such as Halgan Media - an online media agency covering the Ogaden region and wider Somali peninsula, claimed that the shooting could have been a case of mistaken identity involving Ethiopian troops stationed in the area.

The agency further claimed that the pilots and crew on the plane were later arrested by Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) agents, and their cell phones confiscated.

It has since been established that Ethiopian troops are tasked with patrolling Qansahdhere town in Somalia’s Bay area.

This is the second time in less than a month that a Kenyan plane has been shot at while transporting humanitarian aid in Somalia with the previous incident claiming the lives of six people.

On Monday, May 4, a plane operated by Kenyan-based airline, African Express, crashed near Bardale Town in Somalia, killing all six people on board.

The Kenyan Government on Tuesday, May 5, tasked the Somalia government and the global agencies with investigating the incidences that led to the crash of a plane.

On Saturday, May 9, the Ethiopian Army admitted that its troops protecting a camp in the town of Bardale in Southwestern Somalia, were responsible for downing the aircraft that they claimed to have been mistaken as a 'potential suicide mission'.

Crash scene of the African Express plane in Bardaale on Monday 4 May 4 2020.
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"Because of lack of communication and awareness, the aircraft was shot down. The incident …will require mutual collaborative investigation team from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to further understand the truth," the Ethiopian military stated.